Asia Carter
Hamilton Salsich
Grade 9
April 22 2010


Family and The tepest



TS) On my road almost every house belongs to one of my cousins. SD) This is what I love about my family. CM) The fact that we are so big, yet a lot of us live near each other amazes me mostly because it wasn't always this way. CM) When my dad was my age, nobody lived on the reservation. SD) My cousin Skip Hayward started bringing people back to the reservation around 30 years ago. CM) Since then it keeps growing and growing population wise. CM) I have been in the same building as 350 people, and every single one of them is my cousin (thats not close to them all). SD) I love being surrounded by my family because I can really be myself with them. CM) Unlike at school when i'm with my family i'm usually playing football, basketball but i'm mostly quading. CM) Being with my family turns me into a whole different person. CS) If I didn't have a big family I wouldn't get my chance to be rough.

TS) Being a part of a Native American family sometimes isn’t as great as it seems.SD) Zora Neale Hurston in “how it feels to be colored me” is apart of a black family and also experiences difficulties in being “normal”. CM) Zora Neale Hurston lived in a time that does not accept black people, a time that was disoriented (thes. word) , a time that there were people who were treated unfair, a time that most people wish didn’t happen, a time that is a significant part of our past. (loose sentence) CM) She had the experience of growing up in a society that did not tolerate black people, but she did not care because she was happy to be black. CM) She “remember[s] the very day [she] became colored.” because when she was born in her eyes she was the same as everybody else but she soon realized that she lived in a place where she was not welcomed. SD) Living as a part of the Mashantucket Tribe is not easy either. CM) Because of the casino and people who aren't fond of the tribe everything we do is under the spotlight. CM) People are always looking for us to do something bad so they can talk about how we are “inadequate” (thes. word). SD) Zora Neale Hurston and I are proud to be who we are no matter what other people think about us. CM) Our kind is looked down upon and yet we both couldn’t be happier with who we are and what culture we were born into. CM) We both are different than the rest.  CS) We both are happy to be colored and native we just accept others aren’t. 

Essay 18

 Asia Carter

Hamilton Salsich

Grade 9

Essay 18

Thursday April 8, 2010

I Will Not Surrender:

An Essay About A Song By Mayday Parade and The Tempest.

1)I am not invincible but I am strong. 2) I am not expecting anything but I am hoping. 3) I love to live but for some reason people wish to change that. 4) I must fight back.

TS)"I'm standing here alone trying to make this life my own and nothing will keep this heart from beating I'm still breathing." Sings Mayday Parade.SD) When Mayday Parade sings this line in there song "Still Breathing" I get a calm feeling, I get a formation of a smile, I get hope.  CM) This song reminds me that I am not the only one going through these difficult obstacles life throws in my path. CM) When I feel alone and lost, like nobody can relate, I remember the words to this song. SD) In this song they are explaining that no matter the situation you have to hold on to hope and faith. CM) He says "'Cause I've seen a bigger picture and I'm looking for some answers", by this he means that he knows what its like to be happy but he doesn't understand why he cant be happy all of the time. CM) This same question races through my mind every time i'm in an unwanted position. SD) "Time's racing (Please slow down) I got to find my way out I'm hopeless (But hoping) my lungs won't fail me now 'cause I'm still breathing." CM) This is when he explains that he knows he can get through it. CM) Even if all the forces are working against him, he can do it. CM) The question is, does he want to? CS) This song is special to me because when my parents or the teachers don't understand it sometimes feels as if they try to make my life more difficult by doing different things, and I know i'm not the only one who gets this feeling when I listen to this song.

TS) Prospero could benefit from hearing this song. SD) He has had many things taken away from him and he has been pushed out into the open sea with a child expected to die. CM) He is still breathing. CM) He is still alive, and better than ever because he now has his brother on his land and Prospero will take advantage of the situation. SD) His brother took away his land before but now it is time for prospero’s revenge. CM) In the song “Still Breathing” he talks about how people are always trying to bring him down but it wont work this time because he is expecting it. CM) Prospero is in the same situation, this has happened before to him but this time he knows what he an do you that in the end he has the advantage. SD) Although people expect prospero to be dead I have a feeling they wont be surprised when he isn’t because of his love about reading books about magic. CM)  In the song they talk about how people expect you to shrivel in the face of hatred, but they also expect you to fight against it. CM) This is the strange thing we call human nature. CS) Prospero, Mayday  Parade, and I are all grasping for dignity and we wont stop until we achieve our goal. 

1)I am what ever I want to be. 2) I must live up to my standards, not anybody else’s. 3) I am not alone in this fight. 4) It is the battle that everyone must fight.

Asia Carter
Hamilton Salsich
Monday April 5th, 2010
Essay #17


Who Deserves My Attention?:
An Essay About What I Am Dedicated To.

1) What is the hardest thing to loose but the easiest thing to keep? 2) Friends and family, because they love you no matter what. 3) This mutual love is the reason why I dedicate myself to my friends and family. 4) I love them more than life itself.

TS) For me the most important items in my life are my friends and family. SD) I dedicate most of my time to my friends and family simply because I invest love in those that I care for. CM) Because I dedicate my time to my friends and family I am usually surrounded by people who can accept me for me. CM) My friends and family are always helping me out and watching my back and thats something you cant just ignore. SD) Thinking back to all of the past years I notice that no matter what my true friends and family are the only people I can really count on. CM) One of the most important things for me is to give back to those who have given so much to me. CM) In this messed up world there aren't many people I can trust so in this dark world I have people who love me, and I love them too. SD) The main reason I dedicate my time to my friends and family is because those two things would be the hardest things for me to lose. CM) If for some reason something should happen to take even just one of them away from me, my would come crashing down. CM) The recent death of my friend Matty made me realize that  I need to cherish my time with them because it could end any second. CS) I dedicate my time to my friends and family because they are all I need.

1) Every one is born with family, people who care because they enjoy seeing you succeed. 2) Later on you make up your group of friends, people you trust so that they can be around you at all times. 3) Keep those who care for you close to your heart because when something hurts you they will be your sheild. 4) Love your friends and family.

1. One writing issue I am continuing to work on:Correctness, I am still working on my correcting skills.  

2. One strong point I see in this piece of writing: Grabbing the readers attention. I feel I do a good job grabbing the readers attention with my TS's and opening and closing paragraphs.

3. One possible weak point I see:Unity, maybe I could try to connect my SD's better. The unity in this writing is ok but I feel it could be better.